First night of Marshfield town meeting covers a raft of issues

Tuesday

More than 600 voters were packed into Marshfield High School auditorium Monday for the first night of the annual and special town meeting.

MARSHFIELD – More than 600 voters were packed into Marshfield High School auditorium Monday for the first night of the annual and special town meeting.

The first article of the night during the special town meeting dealt with paying for capital budget items from existing funds, including $19,000 from each of the three town enterprise funds and more than $747,000 from bond premiums, and nearly $50,000 from free cash.

The town’s $95,190,856 budget for FY2019 was approved in an omnibus article, with the $48,336,176 education budget generating the most discussion. This school budget provides universal, full-day, tuition-free kindergarten to Marshfield schools for the first time.

Other notable additions include the addition of one police officer and one firefighter, a newly-created position for assistant director at the Council on Aging and funding to allow Ventress Memorial Library to be open on Sundays.

Also approved during the night’s special town meeting was easements for shoreline protection in Brant Rock and funding for a special town meeting to vote on proposed changes to the town charter, which will be held on May 21.

Line items approved for purchase include new voting machines for town elections, a new harbormaster’s truck, road repairs, technology for the schools and library roof repairs.

The one article rejected by voters during special town meeting was to renew an existing lease with Sprint, which has used the space on the Pudding Hill Water Tower for cellular antennae.

Residents spoke out, saying that the $25,000 the town receives from the lease was below market rate and that the town should have solicited offers from other providers as well to get the best deal.

At the beginning of the meeting with the board of selectmen, Town Moderator Mike Maresco, presented former State Rep. Jim Cantwell with a plaque in honor of his nine years of service to the town. Cantwell resigned last month to join the staff of U.S. Senator Ed Markey.

“You’ve given me the great honor of working at the state level,” Cantwell said. “If anyone says to you that you can’t change city hall, tell them that you live in Marshfield and you’ve proven otherwise. Our two little changes, when the federal government was pushing us with flood insurance changes that would have devastated our community, you all came together. We made a huge difference and it was one of the biggest honors or my life to work hand in hand with you.”

A number of highly-anticipated issues will be addressed on Tuesday night, including articles related to the sale of recreational marijuana, Community Preservation Act projects, and citizen petitions for a ban on plastic bags and a for a digital billboard to be placed along Route 3.